s 

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Book. 



M(7 




AGRICULTURAL SERIES NO. 3 



AGRICULTURAL SERIES NO. 3 



UNITED SWB RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION UNITED STATES RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION 



NORTH DAKOTA 



FOREWORD 



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Fargo, North Dakota 

To the man of small means who seeks industriously to build 
a home of his own, North Dakota offers an unusual opportunity. 
To the man who is able to invest in considerable amount and 
also give his entire time and effort to farming, North Dakota 
gives promise of most gratifying returns. 

The attention of the home seeker who contemplates a change 
of location is invited to the pages of this booklet. The contents 
have been most carefully prepared by members of the agri- 
cultural college, representatives of the agricultural section, 
United States Railroad Administration, and others, all of whom 
are eminently qualified by training and experience to set forth 
the facts as they exist. I take pleasure in commending this 
publication. 

To make a success in North Dakota, the farmer must meet 
the North Dakota conditions: The crops grown, the methods 
of culture, the growing of fruit and trees, the raising of stock, 
etc., must be done according to good North Dakota practice. 
These problems have been investigated by the North Dakota 
Agricultural College through the experiment station, which 
operates at thirty points in the State, and the results are pub- 
lished in bulletins and circulars. As president of the North 
Dakota Agricultural College, I invite you to make use of its 
four divisions: Resident Instruction, Experiment Station, 
Regulatory, and Extension. The Experiment Station with its 
data and the Extension Division through its county agents 
and other field workers can be of special service to you in your 
farming operations. 

A study of the following pages will give you some idea of the 
opportunities the State offers. We invite you to come and look 
them over. 

President," North Dakota Agricultural College. 



Bismarck, North Dakota 

The State of North Dakota is in a position at the present 
time to offer greater inducements to settlers, home seekers and 
home builders than at any other time in its history. In extend- 
ing an invitation to persons seeking farms or homes. North 
Dakota is calling attention to the industrial program of the 
State which ushers in "A New Day in the State." 

The Sixteenth Legislative Assembly in Senate Bill 19, which 
passed both houses of the Legislature and was signed by the 
Governor, has provided for the loaning of the credit of the 
State to home or farm builders, to enable them to establish 
farms or homes on the most advantageous terms. A bond 
issue has been provided for by the Legislature to finance this 



proposition. The State is permitted to loan its credit for the 
erection of homes costing up to $5,000 and farms costing up 
to $10,000 each. 

Under the terms of this act any person may open a home 
buying account with the State. They may deposit with the 
State their savings, so much per month, on which the State 
will allow interest. Whenever any person has deposited savings 
or monthly payments or a lump sum equal to twenty per cent 
of the total cost of building or buying a home or farm desired 
by the applicant, the State will loan the applicant the balance 
of the purchase price at interest rates covering only the cost 
of carrying out the provisions of the act. The applicant can 
immediately take possession of the farm or home, on which 
the State will take a mortgage and the indebtedness may be 
repaid in small annual installments, that will result in the 
payment of the principal in from ten to twenty years. 

This is only one of many of the important acts included in 
the new North Dakota industrial program. 

In addition the State Legislature has passed a grain grading 
law which is one of the fairest to the producer of any existing 
in any state; it has provided for State owned and operated hail 
insurance at cheap rates on crops; it has provided for a great 
central reserve bank owned and operated by the State, which 
bank will not only loan farmers and settlers money on first 
mortgages on land but will facilitate the financing of producers 
by loaning money on warehouse receipts for stored farm 
products. This great central bank will place credit under 
public jurisdiction and will have the effect of making banking 
and financial conditions in North Dakota more favorable to 
new settlers than they ever have been. 

Besides these laws adopted by the last Legislature which 
the State expects will attract settlers from every part of the 
United States, the Legislature of North Dakota two years ago 
adopted a seed and feed bonding act, an act which enables 
farmers of the State to borrow through their counties, money 
for feeding stock or for sowing crops, at cost rates of interest, 
and which the farmers of the State last year freely availed 
themselves of. 

As long as the supply lasts the Industrial Commission of 
North Dakota, Bismarck, N. Dak., will send to any person 
desiring it a pamphlet called ''The New Day in North Dakota" 
which contains copies of the principal laws relating to the new 
industrial program enacted by the Sixteenth Legislative Assem- 
bly last winter. Persons desiring this book should enclose four 
cents for postage. 




••aov 



Commissioner of Agriculture. 



NORTH DAKOTA 




Wheat harvesting in North Dakota where more than one hundred million bushels were produced in 1918 



North Dakota 



North Dakota was made for farming. Its broad, 
rich acres are spread out on a level or gently undu- 
lating plain. The making of a farm requires only 
turning "the sod with the plow. The lay of the land 
makes possible the using of the most modern farm 
machinery and in large units. The four, five, or six 
horse team is the rule, and one man doing two or 
three, or even six, men's work, as compared to some 
other sections. The conditions are ideal for using the 
tractor. Land is so abundant and cheap that more 
is worked by nearly every one than can be done 
well, yet the returns per farmer have been greater 
than in the older states. 

The distribution of the rainfall is most advan- 
tageous. Nearly all of it comes during May, June, 
and July, when the crops are growing. The fall and 
winter precipitation is light. This results in very 
little run off, and hence no leaching of the soil, 
which may in a large measure account for its rich- 
ness. This is also in a large measure responsible 
for the good roads that can be had at all seasons. 









RAINFALL 


AVERAGES 












No. 
Yrs, 


Jan 


Feb. 


Mar 


Apr- 


May 


Jun 


July 


Aug. 


Sep. 


Oct. 


Nov 


Dec. 


Amenia. . . . 


22 


■ 46 


.,18 


.61 


2.00 


2.84 


.1.74 


.1 18 


2.80 


2.01 


I. 11 


.80 


..19 


Wahpeton . 


2,1 


■4' 




4S 


I 


00 


2 


18 


2.61 


.1.80 


.1 


SI 


,1 


01 


2.. 1.1 


I.. SI 


.42 


-.19 


Pembina.. . 


4.'i 


StA 




8« 




Q2 




6.^ 


2.. 17 


1.40 


2 


S2 


2 


27 


1. 78 


I 4.i 


.67 


.80 


Devils Lake 


42 


^0 




no 




84 




21 


2.X,1 


1.42 


2 


0- 


2 


61 


I.2.S 


I. 19 


.60 


..50 


Jamestown 


2b 


.04 




S8 


I 






7S 


2.66 


.1.60 


2 


74 


2 


';8 


I.'i2 


OS 


.67 


.71 


Bism.irck . . 


4.1 


■ %S 




■;8 


I 


02 




64 


2.18 


.l.l.l 


2 


23 


2 


02 


1.28 


.08 


.18 


.%» 




.10 


.,s« 




41 




6.1 




l.S 


2.06 


.1.4,S 


I 


88 


I 


47 


1.42 


.77 


.57 


.57 


Buttmeau.. 


26 


• 4.S 




.18 




84 




87 


2.10 


.1.22 


2 


18 


1 


»» 


1.66 


1.03 


• 54 


.,50 


Minot 


22 


.41 




44 




76 


I 


18 


2.03 


3.50 


I 


80 


2 


17 


1. 58 


.91 


• 57 


.41 



The stimmers are ideal for growing crops, and the 
days are about as warm as in Iowa or Illinois but 
the nights are cool. The winters are cold but bright 
and sunshiny. 

Most of the soils are rich, fine-textured loams, 
giving them a large capacity for storing moisture. 
The subsoil in most parts is a fine clay. Water is 
easy to find. In several sections flowing wells can 
be secured. 

Trees do well when planted on properly prepared 
land and cultivated for a few years. Vegetables of 
the finest quality can be grown in abundance and 



NORTH DAKOTA 






' V 









m 



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A Thoroughbred and reliable power plant like this one, found on many North Dakota farms 



such small fruits as currants, gooseberries, June- 
berries, and plums do well. 

The fuel problem has been forever solved in North 
Dakota. The western half of the State is underlaid 
with lignite — a kind of soft coal. In most cases the 
farmer can help himself, or it can be purchased at the 
mines for $1.50 to $2.00 per toil. 

The school advantages of the State are well 
developed. The large well-built schoolhouses are a 
surprise to those who visit the State. Many of the 
high schools offer courses in agriculture and home 
economics. The four normal schools — the Science 
School, the Industrial Normal, the University, and 
the Agricultural College — offer instructions on 
nearly all subjects. 

The church life of the State is well developed. 
The leading fraternal societies, both social and 
beneficiary, are to be found in most localities. 

North Dakota is one of the leading grain-produc- 
ing states; producing more spring wheat than any 
other state, about half the flax crop of the United 
States, more rye than any other two states, and is 
third in barley production. Sixty million bushels 
of oats, 9,000,000 bushels of potatoes, and about 
9,000,000 bushels of corn were produced in 1918. 

This State is eminently a live stock one, as evi- 
denced by the great buffalo herds that formerly 
roamed the prairies of North Dakota. The rich and 



abundant native grasses, light winter snow, and the 
cold but dry winters were very favorable to them. 

Two packing plants have been erected and many 
flour mills are in operation. There are creameries 
in many sections of the State. 

The transportation facilities in North Dakota are 
the best. Four transcontinental railroads cross the 
State. From these branch lines radiate so that 
practically all sections are within convenient dis- 
tance of shipping points. 

In many sections farmers have put up rural 
telephone lines and the rural free delivery of mail 
reaches all parts. 

The climate of North Dakota is extremely health- 
ful for both man and animal. The air is unusually 
dry, clear, and bracing. Comfort and health are 
promoted both in winter and summer by the absence 
of a surplus of moisture or humidity. Summer days 
are warm but summer nights are usually cool and 
refreshing. Long days of sunshine due to the 
northern latitude cause a rapid growth of crops and 
hasten ripening during the growing season. Heat 
prostration and sunstroke are unknown. 

Spring work starts between the first and the middle 
of April, as the warm days bring the frost from the 
ground. Usually about six weeks of clear spring 
days follow, permitting work and seeding to be 
done without delay. 



NORTH DAKOTA 




Some of the buildings at the Agricultural College at Fargo, North Dakota 



DAYS FREE FROM FROST 

According to the United States Weather Bureau 
the frost free period varies from 110 to 150 days. 

The number of days required for maturing crops 
are as follows: 

Wheat 95 to lo5 days Millet 8l to 112 days 

Oats 88 to 102 days Speltz 91 to 92 days 

Barley 82 to 94 days Corn about 100 days 

Flax 83 to 95 days 

During the winter there is a comparatively light 
snowfall. There is but little mud, slush, or sleet. 
Roads are almost always in good condition and 
facilitate marketing. While below zero weather is 
common, yet, because of the dr^mess of the air, it is not 
unpleasantly cold. Stock often graze out most of 
the winter, feeding on volunteer growth in stubble 
fields and straw piles; feed lots are clean and dr>-, 
and fattening animals "keep on their feed." North 
Dakota's climate results in rugged, vigorous animal 
life. 



NORTH DAKOTA SOILS 

The plant food elements are abundant in the soils 
of this State. Most of the rain falls during the 
cropping season. Even the lime, which is one of 



the first elements to be thus lost, is so abundant 
that the addition of lime is not necessary even for 
legumes. In trials with commercial fertilizers at 
the North Dakota Experiment Station the fields 
fertilized often do not grow a larger crop than the 
one to which no fertilizer has been added, but 
barnyard manure applied in a good rotation gives 
on an average an added return of $1.50 per ton at 
pre-war prices for crops. 




ige lifters 



NORTH DAKOTA 



















*- 




1 


|^m|H^^9|^^^ 







Typical scene on one of North Dakota's splendid wheat farms 



Most of the soils in the State are loams, silt loams, 
and sandy loams with smaller areas of clays, clay 
loams, and sand. These soils compare in plant food 
elements with the prairie soils in the corn belt. 
The lime content is the largest in the soils of the 
western part of the State. 

The Red River Valley, the glacial prairie plains 
region, and the unglaciated areas west and south 
of the Missouri River, are the three great soil divi- 
sions. The Red River Valley soils are fine textured 
and black to a depth of ten to forty inches with a 
silty clay subsoil. Sandy loam and sand occur in 
narrow ridges on the west side of the valley. The 
soils of the Red River Valley are classed among the 
richest in the world. Alkali is present in injurious 
amoimts in small areas and drainage is needed in 
some places to secure the best results. 

The glacial prairie plains in general cover the 
area between the Red River Valley and the Missouri 
River. It is characterized by its undulating to 
rolling surface. The natural drainage is good. 
The Mouse River loop is in the northern part of this 
area. It resembles the Red River Valley in soil 
and surface. Silt loams and sandy loams are the 
principal soil types in this glaciated region. These 
soils have a good plant food content, are black in 
color, and usually eight to fourteen inches deep. 



The subsoil is of the same or a finer texture than the 
surface soil. These soils are easily tilled. 

Where detailed soil surveys have been made it has 
been found that a type, known as the Barnes loam, 
is one of the most extensive of the glacial prairie 
plains region. This is a black soil underlaid by a 
grayish yellow loam to silty clay loam subsoil. 
It is easily tilled and well suited to the growing of 
all crops adapted to this region. Analyses of this 
type show that it contains from 1,000 to 12,000 
pounds of phosphorus, from 5,000 to 6,000 pounds 
nitrogen, about 37,000 pounds of potassium, and 
about four and one-half tons of limestone per acre 
surface seven inches. An acre of the subsurface 
(7 to 18 inches in depth) of this soil type contains 
150 tons and the subsoil (18 to 40 inches in depth) 
about 450 tons of limestone. 

The soils of the unglaciated region in south- 
western North Dakota are lighter in color than those 
derived from glacial drift. The svirface is yellowish 
l?rown to dark brown, becoming somewhat lighter 
in color with depth. The subsoil is often quite 
gray, due to the presence of lime concretions. The 
surface is usually rolling and in some localities is too 
rough for anything but grazing. A considerable 
area in the unglaciated part of the State has been 
broken up and in recent years good crops of small 



NORTH DAKOTA 




Three generations — whose influence will extend through many more 



grain, alfalfa, and corn are produced. The soils 
are a little lower in organic matter than those of 
the glaciated part of the State, but otherwise do not 
differ materially from them in plant food content. 

WATER SUPPLY 

The farm water supply is derived from streams, 
springs, and surface and artesian wells. In some 
areas the water from the latter contain a relatively 
large amount of soluble salts. The surface wells 
vary from 15 to 75 feet in depth. The artesian 
wells in the Red River district are usually 250 to 400 
feet deep. The streams west of the Missouri River 
furnish water in the grazing districts and in places 
natural springs furnish a supply of good water. 

CROPS 

North Dakota is the greatest spring wheat state 
in the Union. 

Spring wheat was first grown successfully in the 
Red River Valley over a hundred years ago by the 
Selkirk Colony which settled at Pembina. Prac- 
tically all of this valley was broken up between 
1880 and 1890, and this section of the State became 
justly famous as the "bread basket of the world." 



New settlers pushed westward from the valley and 
the country was rapidly broken up until now nearly 
one-half the tillable land in the Stale has been turned 
over by the plow. Wheat is the greatest crop for 
the pioneer farmer because it is so easily grown 
with limited capital and machiner\^ Spring wheat 
is sown during the month of April on land which 
has been plowed the fall before or which has been 
in a cultivated crop the previous year. 

The wheat requires no further attention until 
harvest time. A man and four horses will cut and 
bind fifteen to twenty acres of wheat a day ; another 
man will shock it up. After a period of ten days or 
two weeks it is ready for the threshing machine. 
Usually this machine is provided by the man who 
makes a specialty of that business. He provides 
machinery and labor, including board for men and 
teams. The men are fed in a cook car which is 
hauled from farm to farm, thus saving the farm 
women from the heavy burden of extra work. All 
the farmer has to do is to haul the threshed grain 
away from the machine. The average machine will 
thresh about 2,000 bushels of wheat per day, thus 
rapidly cleaning off the small grain fields. If the 
field is within three miles of an elevator it is usually 
hauled direct to the elevator. At greater distance 
the grain is run directly into a bin from the spout 



NORTH DAKOTA 





One-half of the flax crop of the United States is produced in this State 



on the separator and stored there until the fall 
plowing is done. 

After threshing, the farmer prepares the land for 
another crop of wheat by plowing. However, it is 
rapidly becoming a thing of the past, as other crops 
are found to be more profitable than wheat when 
grown on part of the farm; and when wheat is 
grown in rotation with corn, potatoes, and the hay 
crops, it is found to yield about 60 per cent more 
than where wheat follows wheat. 

The North Dakota Experiment Station has shown 




Waiting for dinner 



rather conclusively that wheat grown in rotation 
with other crops on the demonstration farms and 
sub-stations which are scattered throughout the 
State, will yield just as heavily on the average in 
western North Dakota as in the Red River Valley. 
The yields will not vary so much from year to year 
in the valley as they do in the western part, but the 
average will be just as great in western North Dakota 
as in the eastern part of the State. When all of 
North Dakota's 40,000,000 arable acres are farmed 
and systematic crop rotations grown on the farms, 
the State will probably be producing three times the 
amount of wheat that it is producing at the present 
time. 

No section of the country offers greater oppor- 
tunities to the willing and industrious individual 
farmer than North Dakota. Many farmers here 
during this past year have produced, without help 
from any one until threshing time, 4,000 bushels of 
wheat, or enough wheat to feed 800 people for a 
period of one year. 

North Dakota is the greatest state in the Union in 
the production of winter rye. Like spring wheat, 
this crop is well adapted to extensive farming. One 
man can easily produce 3,000 or 4,000 bushels of 
rye with his own labor. Winter rye is usually sown 
in the stubble in the fall as soon as the spring wheat 
crop is removed. It is no uncommon sight to see a 



NORTH DAKOTA 




Hemp — one of the promising new crojDS of North Dakota 



grain drill following immediately behind the binder, 
the wheat shocks being set up on the newly cut, 
freshly seeded field. Winter rye usually germinates 
quickly and makes a good growth in the stubble in 
the fall. It sometimes furnishes considerable feed 
for stock during the the late fall and early spring. 
This crop requires no further work until it is ready 
for harvest. By this method the land never has 
the plow or harrow put upon it from the time the 
wheat is seeded until after the rye is cut the follow- 
ing year. Rye usually heads out fully the first 
week in June. 

The rye crop is usually harvested about the middle 
of July, and is often threshed and put into the 
elevator before the spring wheat crop is ready to cut. 
Rye, as a rule, is threshed at the same time as other 
small grain crops. In 1918 North Dakota pro- 
duced enough rye to furnish bread to feed a city 
the size of greater New York for an entire year. 

Only two states in the Union produced more 
barley in 1918 than North Dakota. It can be sown 
as late as the month of June and be reasonably 
sure of producing a good yield, as it will ripen in 
ninety days from the time it is seeded. Much of 
the barley produced is shipped out of the State. 
A large amount of it, however, is used for feed, 
particularly for hogs and cattle. As a cheap feed 



of good quality for live stock barley is only slightly 
surpassed by com. 

This State produces oats of the finest quality, and 
a weight of forty pounds to the bushel is not uncom- 
mon. The oat crop is seeded at the same time as 
the spring wheat crop and on identically the same 
kind of land. For this reason, oats are not grown 
as extensively in North Dakota as they are in some 
other states. 

North Dakota produces about one-half the flax 
grown in the Union. New sod is plowed in April, 
May, and early June and then seeded to flax. It 
is not an uncommon thing for a settler to buy a 
new fann, break it up and put it into flax and from 
the returns of the one crop pay all his expenses and 
cost of the land. During the past few years flax 
has sold for $1 .50 to $4 a bushel on the local market. 
The yield per acre frequently runs from 15 to 20 
bushels, the cost of production being low. The 
extra work required in growing a crop of flax 
after breaking new land in the spring, is to roll the 
sod to make it level, then disc to secure a mulch, 
and the ground is ready for seed. About one- 
third of a bushel of seed per acre is required. 
Flax requires no further treatment until the time 
of harvest, which is usually in the month of Septem- 
ber, and there is no pleasantcr sight anywhere than 



NORTH DAKOTA 




The State is well supplied with churches of all denominations 



a field of flax in full blossom in the month of August. 

This crop is cut and left loose in piles on the 
ground, no twine being required. A few days 
after cutting it is ready for the threshing machine. 
When a newcomer to the State who has paid $20 
to $40 per acre for his land threshes his first flax 
crop and finds it yields fifteen bushels to the acre 
and sells for $3 per bushel at the elevator, he is 
sure to be satisfied with his future location. The 
land which has been in flax is ready to be sown to 
spring wheat the following spring without plowing. 
When the grass or pasture land is broken up in rota- 
tion, it is usually sown to flax. Wilt is a disease 
that made flax growing in some of the older states 
unprofitable. Wilt-resistant varieties of flax have 
been iDred by the North Dakota Agricultural 
Experiment Station. These varieties make it pos- 
sible for the North Dakota farmer to continue to 
grow flax as one of his regular crops. 

Many people have the idea that corn is a crop 
not adapted to North Dakota conditions. In the 
winter of 1804 and 1805 Lewis and Clark when on 
their way to the Pacific Coast lived through the 
winter in this State largely on corn which was 
supplied them by the Mandan Indians. Probably 
hundreds of years before the white man came to 
North Dakota the Indians cultivated corn along 



the Missouri River. Lewis and Clark stated that 
they had eight distinct varieties of com. 

Corn is grown on over one-half million acres 
annually in North Dakota and it is one of the most 
certain crops which may be grown in the State if 
acclimated varieties are planted. The yield of 
shelled corn is high, not uncommonly running over 
fifty bushels to the acre. 

In 1916 the Bureau of Statistics of the United 
States Department of Agriculture places the yield 
of corn in North Dakota at 26 . 5 bushels to the acre. 

A field of corn on the North Dakota Experiment 
Station was hogged down last fall (1918), the net 
income being $45 per acre. An acre of corn if 
kept well cultivated can be depended upon to pro- 
duce from 200 to 400 pounds of pork. There is 
no more efficient corn picking machine than a hog 
which has grown up on North Dakota alfalfa. 

There are hundreds of silos in the State. In 
sections where the water table is not too near the 
surface, pit silos are becoming popular. 

While North Dakota at present is raising over 
half a million acres of corn, the time is soon coming 
when 20 per cent of the cultivated land will be put 
into this crop. This will mean four or five million 
acres, and then the State will be truly one of the 
great corn states. The two purposes for which corn 



NORTH DAKOTA 




Commertial potato growing is a profitable industry in North Dakotu 



will be grown, are for fattening hogs, and feeding 
steers and the dairy cattle which will ultimately 
be kept in great numbers. The corn crop is the 
one great cultivated crop which can be grown to 
good advantage with wheat and the other small 
grains. 

Potatoes, like corn, are a cultivated field crop 
which can be grown quite extensively. At the 
present time about 90,000 acres are put into this 
crop annually. The quality of North Dakota pota- 
toes is excellent, and seed potatoes from this section 
are in favor throughout the states in the Central 
West and South. Potatoes grown by one farmer in 
the northeastern section of the State for the past 
seven years averaged 125 bushels to the acre. Dur- 
ing that period they gave a net profit of $57.43 an 
acre per year. Similar results have been obtained in 
many other parts of the State. Wheat following 
potatoes will give an average of ten bushels more 
to the acre than where wheat follows wheat. 

Long before the settler came nature had sown 
North Dakota from east to west and north to south 
with heavy yielding nutritious grasses. These wild 
grasses continued to grow until the land was turned 
over by the plow. Several million acres of unbroken 
land are pastured and cut over for hay annually, 



and two of these native grasses have been tamed, 
viz., the slender wheat grass and the western rye 
grass. They are very desirable pasture and hay 
grasses and are being seeded rather extensively. 

Timothy is a very profitable hay crop in the Red 
River Valley and in some of the more eastern 
counties. Brome grass makes one of the best hay 
and pasture crops. This grass is so hardy that it 
never winter kills, and is a hay that is easy to cure. 




A thirty pounder 



NORTH DAKOTA 




Thanksgiving birds from this State are in large demand in the Middle West markets 



It produces a better crop of hay than timothy for 
all classes of live stock. It comes the first thing 
in the spring and is the last grass to stop growing 
in the fall. It is more palatable than any other 
grass, either native or tame. Under favorable con- 
ditions it will grow five feet in height, and will 
closely resemble an oat or rye field. While this 
grass produces well on the poorer land and under 
harsh conditions, there is no other grass that will 
respond better to good conditions, to good soil, and 
to the application of manure. 

Sweet clover is a legume crop rapidly coming 
into favor in North Dakota for both hay and 
pasture purposes. The soils, being sweet, grow 
this crop very readily. Contrary to the general 
belief, horses, cattle, sheep, and swine when they 
once become accustomed to the use of sweet clover 
seem to prefer it to anything else, with the excep- 
tion of alfalfa or brome grass. Sweet clover hay 
when cut and cured at the proper fime yields well, 
and at the same time enriches the soil and prepares 
it for the growing of alfalfa. 

Sweet clover in many cases proved to be a very 
profitable crop when left for seed. A yield of three 
hundred pounds of seed per acre has frequently 
been harvested. It is readily threshed in the 
ordinary threshing machine, and the seed can be 



hulled by running through an ordinary hulling 
cylinder or through a scarifier a couple of times. 

Millet is an annual hay crop that is grown quite 
generally by the farmers of this state and as a rule, 
yields well; often exceeding three tons per acre. 
It makes an excellent grade of hay for all kinds of 
cattle, and is planted early in June after the grain 
crops are seeded. It is usually cut before frost, 
and if well cured makes an excellent hay. 

Red Top does well on the lower lands. It is 
easily started, does not winter kill, makes good 
pasture, and if cut and put up at the proper time 
this hay is the equal of timothy for feeding purposes. 

Field peas do well in all parts of the State, and 
there is no better hog feed than this crop. At the 
same time they are a soil enriching plant. Peas 
are planted early in the spring, are in full bloom 
late in June, and are usually fully matured early in 
August. A yield of fifteen to thirty bushels per 
acre is common. Field peas have been worth 
$2.50 to $5.00 per bushel during the last five 
years. When seeded with oats the mixture of field 
peas and oats makes very fine feed for dairy cattle, 
such hay being surpassed only by fine well cured 
alfalfa. 

Alfalfa is North Dakota's best legimiinous hay 



12 



NORTH DAKOTA 




Sir Pontio, grand champion at the Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, C 



nd Northwestern lairs, during 1918 



crop, the Grimm alfalfa being the most pro- 
ductive. It will stand up under average farm 
conditions and produce paying crops year after 
year. Alfalfa can be cut from one to four times, 
depending upon the local conditions, the amount 
of rainfall, etc. The climate is such that alfalfa 
hay is usually easily cured and a finer quality of 
hay can not be produced. 

The soils are so rich in lime that it is not necessary 
to apply it in order to grow this crop. A good seed 
bed, seed of hardy variety (the Grimm), and the 
seed properly inoculated are the things necessary 
to get a good stand. In western North Dakota 
the Alfalfa is often seeded in rows and cultivated. 
In the eastern part of the State it is universally 
seeded solid and the best farmers cultivate it when 
sown either way with a special spring tooth harrow 
early in the spring and after each cutting. The 
conditions are very favorable to the production of 
alfalfa seed — large yields being obtained. Alfalfa 
seed crops that have netted over $100 an acre have 
not been uncommon and over $200 worth of seed 
have been produced per acre under favorable cir- 
cumstances in a single season. There is a big 
demand for North Dakota "Grimm" alfalfa seed 
in states where a hardy variety is desired. 

Hemp is being grown in different parts of the State 
as a fibre crop. It does well on rich heavy soils. 



Several thousand acres have been grown for the 
past two years. Under favorable conditions it will 
produce over a ton of fibre per acre. The hemp 
grows from six to fifteen feet in height and is one 
of the promising new crops in North Dakota. 

In no part of the Union do root crops reach 
a greater perfection than in North Dakota. It 
is not difficult to grow twenty to thirty tons to 
the acre. In combination with hay and straw 
there is no better cattle feed obtainable. With 
improved machiner\- the growing of the rutabaga 
or Swedish turnip for feed puq^oses is likely to be 
greatly increased, as it is an absolutely sure crop 
if properly cultivated. The storage of root crops 
is simple. _ A dug-out or root cellar with a good 
roof near the barn is all that is necessary'. The 
roots can be dug and stored in October when the 
other crops are out of the way. They are the best 
substitutes for silage. They can be kept until late 
in the spring in a well ventilated root cellar without 
difficulty. 

LIVE STOCK OPPORTUNITIES 

The rich limestone soils, the abundant sunshine, 
and the dry atmosphere lay the foundation for a 
great live stock industry- in "this State. The native 



NORTH DAKOTA 




Lignite is a cheap fuel in the State. Note the thickness of the vein 



grasses are very nutritious, so that cattle can be 
finished for market on grass alone. 

While grain production is the great industry, live 
stock production is one of North Dakota's greatest 
possibilities. 

Limestone soils are necessary in producing good 
horses. It brings better bone and better quality 
than can be secured on other classes of soil. Prairie 
pastures of western North Dakota are particularly 
adapted to developing sound, strong-legged, tough- 
hoofed horses. A strong, well-enforced stallion 
registration law insures and provides excellent sires 
of recognized draft breeds in each county and 
within traveling distance of all farmers. 

Pure-bred beef cattle herds of high class are 
plentiful here, and they are well distributed so that 
herds are near at hand in any part of the State and 
offer buyers an easy journey to a good place to pur- 
chase a sire. 

The price of barley as compared with corn has 
taught North Dakota farmers that cattle fed on 
barley bring good returns. At an International 
Stock Show the North Dakota Agricultural College 
showed the Shorthorn grade steer "Bob" who won a 
second place in his class. Bob was picked up in 
a bunch of steers on the open market and is a good 
indication of what can be produced under North 
Dakota conditions. 



The climate of North Dakota is particularly well 
adapted to sheep. The winter weather being cold 
and dry with comparatively little snow, makes 
splendid conditions. Pasturing stubble and pas- 
turing off standing corn will take care of the fall 
grain feeding, and there is enough feed from each 
of these sources to fatten a heavy population of 
sheep. Screenings also are an excellent fattening 
ration. When sheep eat weed seeds the weeds are 
entirely destroyed as they grind their feed ver>' fine. 
Sheep fit into farm economy unusually well and eat 
largely what would otherwise be waste products. 
They should not be starved on that account, how- 
ever. They do not require warm housing, still they 
need special attention, and straw-covered shelters 
should be provided, particularly at lambing time. 
The small farmer can have lambs born before active 
field work begins in the spring, or at a time when he 
is not too busy to look after them. The state and 
county fairs of North Dakota give ample evidence 
that there are good pure bred flocks enough to supply 
breeding stock of high quality for the entire State. 

The man who understands hog feeding and man- 
agement can do well with that class of stock in 
North Dakota. To get good returns and paying 
results from hogs they should be farrowed in March 
and April and put on the market in November or 
early December. In other words, they should be 



NORTH DAKOTA 




Nutritious grasses lay the foundation for the live stock industry in North Dakota 



made to weigh 200 pounds by the time they are 
eight months old. It is always necessary to make a 
reasonable amount of that gain on pasture. Alfalfa, 
sweet clover, rape, and pasture mixtures of cereals, 
rape and peas can all be used as desired. Alfalfa 
makes the most satisfactory pasture. Following the 
pasturing period, during which time they should 
have about 2' 2 pounds of grain per 100 pounds of 
live weight, they may be pastured on field peas by 
giving them access to a strip at a time until the pea 
crop is cleaned up, after which they should be turned 
in to corn. 

The live stock population of North Dakota can be 
increased many fold without curtailing the produc- 
tion of small grains. The crops that are necessary 
to rotate with grain crops to keep up yields can be 
marketed to the best advantage by feeding to live 
stock. 

* DAIRYING 

North Dakota, with its relatively cheap lands and 
fertile soils that are adapted to the growing of crops 
suitable for the use of dairy animals, is destined to 
become one of the leading dairy states. It has, in 
fact, already made rapid strides in that direction 
as is evidenced by the increase in number of dairy- 
cows during the past two decades. In 1900 they 



numbered 125,000. This number has increase 
rapidly and steadily at the rate of about 10 per cer 
per year until at present there are approximatel 
278,888 dairy cows contributing to the wealth of th 
State. 




Progressive North Dakota stockmen have imported thorough 

bred sires from Europe and high grade herds are 

plentiful over the State 



NORTH DAKOTA 




North Dakota has 5.300 schools. Over $7,000,000 expended 

on common schools in 1917. It is the rural schools that 

represent the very foundation of the educational 

welfare of the people 

This development of dairy farming is based on 
fundamental reasons that become more urgent as 
population increases, large farms being divided into 
smaller units, and the demands on the land increase. 
These reasons briefly stated are as follows: 

Dairy farming uses labor at full capacity, effi- 
ciently and economically throughout the year. 

It puts farming operations more nearly on a cash 
basis as a result of a constant, steady income. 

It is adapted to high-priced lands and is, there- 
fore, a still greater profit producer on less expensive 
land. 

The dairy cow is the most economical and efficient 
transformer of farm products into human food. 

The return of manure to the soil improves the 
fertility and makes greater profits always possible. 

The highly valued dairy feeds, both roughages 
and concentrates, are produced abundantly in the 
State. Legumes, such as clover and alfalfa, grow 
luxuriantly, while the by-products of wheat — wheat 
bran, middlings, and shorts are abundant. The 
use of varieties of corn adapted to the climatic 
conditions renders silage an easily obtainable 
roughage to add succulence to the winter ration. 



A group of boys judging dairy cattle. These boys are attending 

the Boys and Girls Institute which is held at the 

Agricultural College annually 



All breeds of dairy cattle do well in the State 
and while one breed may be more popular than the 
other there are no climatic conditions which exclude 
any breed. 

POULTRY 

The abundance of prairie chickens and the almost 
countless numbers of ducks that live about the 
lakes are an indication of the adaptability of North 
Dakota to poultry production. 

The poultry interests are being pushed; 

First. By the organization ot poultry associations 
in the State; and through them, and their influence 
in conducting poultry shows and other poultry 
demonstrations. There are now about ten of these 
organizations at work. 

Second. By activities of the extension division 
and experiment station of the college in the assem- 
bling and disseminating of information and avail- 
able material, and the active campaign of Boys' 
and Girls' Poultry Clubs; members of which raised 
about 15,000 pure bred chickens in 1918. 

Third. By the strenuous campaign of the United 
States Department of Agriculture for increased pro- 



NORTH DAKOTA 




thousand sheep on North Dakota farms spring of 1918. Splendid 
jpportunity for many thousands more 



duction of poultry' during the years 1917 and 1918. 

With the wide ranges of pasture land in some 
parts of the State much more can and should be 
made of turkeys. The cost of growing under these 
conditions is sHght and returns are excellent. 

The numerous streams, small lakes and wide 
ranges afford excellent opportunities for the pro- 
duction of ducks and geese and those who have 
entered upon this branch of the poultry work in 
the State find the returns exceptionally good. 

While there are not exceptionably large individual 
loultry farms in North Dakota, there are many 
arms and town lots on which may be found large 
flocks of well bred, healthy, fine quality fowls of 
all varieties, chickens, turkey, ducks and geese. 
The farmers and breeders of North Dakota are 
beginning to recognize this opportunity. Thou- 
sands of chicks are hatched to-day where hundreds 
were hatched a few years ago. A good beginning 
has only been made. 

FFWITS AND VEGETABLES 

Small plantings of apples have been made in all 
-arts of the State, with rather indifferent success, 
tjxcept in the southern tier of counties, where there 
are good bearing orchards of such varieties as the 



Hibernal, Wealthy, Patten's Greening, and Iowa 
Beauty. Crab apples, excepting only those subject 
to blight, can be grown in any section. The only 
other tree fruits hardy in North Dakota are the 
native plum and compass cherr>'. The many cul- 
tivated varieties of these offered for sale by nursery- 
men succeed in practically all parts of the State. 
In the western section such varieties of grape as 
the Beta, Moore, Early, and Hungarian are success- 
fully grown. Currants and gooseberries find a con- 
genial soil and climate in all parts and the hardier 




The County Agents of several counties arranged for and had 
charge of this boys' encampment 



NORTH DAKOTA 




Marketing the corn in a pig skin sack. Nearly half a million head at the beginning of 1918, on North Dakota farms 



varieties of raspberries do well planted near a wind- 
break so that they remain covered with snow. By 
taking advantage of windbreaks and making a care- 
ful selection of soil, strawberries can be successfully 
grown on almost every farm. Such standard 
varieties as the Warfield, Senator Dunlap, and 
Progressive, are as easily grown and are as produc- 
tive in North Dakota as in many other sections. 

There are but few vegetables that can not be 
produced abundantly and cheaply. This is espe- 
cially true of celery, onions, parsnips, and the like, 
that require deep, mellow soil. The earlier sorts 
of sweet corn and tomatoes can be readily grown 
in all parts. On different occasions one thousand 
bushels of ripe tomatoes have been picked from a 
single acre at Fargo. 

Dtiring the past season celery of only ordinary 
size readily brought sixty-five cents per dozen in 
any of the State markets. As an acre of land 
produces approximately 1500 dozen, it can readily 
be seen that there are decided possibilities in the 
way of celery growing. 

Another crop especially suited, that likewise 
brings large returns, is asparagus. The demand 
for this, at twenty cents per pound, far exceeds 
the supply, and the market has so far been very 
imperfectly developed. A farm garden on any 
farm with no greater expenditure of money and 



labor than would be put in in the average farming 
region, can be made to produce a very large part of 
the food for the family throughout the year, begin- 
ning with asparagus in May and ending with celery 
and the root crops in the fall. There are advantages 
of living in a state where vegetables and horticul- 
tural products of various kinds can be easily grown, 
even if they are applied chiefly to home use. 

NORTH DAKOTA TREES AND SHRUBBERY 

The forest tree growth is confined to the banks of 
streams and to the regions in the vicinity of Devils 
Lake and the northern part of the State, particularly 
the Pembina and Turtle mountains. 

The native species comprise the American Elm, 
Linden, Burr Oak, Black Willow, Hackberry, Box 
Elder, Green Ash, White Poplar, and Cottonwood. 
In addition to these there are the larger shrubs like 
the Wild Plum, Chokecherry, Red and Black Haw, 
and the Buffalo Berry. There are also a con- 
siderable number of the smaller shrubs such as the 
Highbush Cranberry, Red Dogwood, Flowering 
Currant, the Wild Roses and several other species 
of lesser importance. 

The treeless condition of a large part of the State 
does not indicate that the region is not suitable for 
trees, any more than that the prairie districts of 



20 



NORTH DAKOTA 



EEEE^ 



fTTm 






A visitor to North Dakota will be impressed with the character of the school buildings 



Illinois and Iowa would indicate that trees could not 
be grown there. Trees do well in all parts of the 
State when given proper care. 

The Cottonwood has been very extensively 
planted for groves, with fairly satisfactory results. 
The Cottonwood, however, is better suited for 
planting as single specimens than in a solid grove. 
The Box Elder is extensively used as a shade tree 
for which it is well suited, on account of its rapid 
growth and dense, bushy habit. The Elm grows 
readily everywhere if given fair treatment and is 
especially well suited to street planting in cities and 
towns. The ordinary Gray or White Willow, while 
not a native of this country, grows readily and is 
the most valuable tree for windbreaks and shelter 
belts. It also is well suited for grove planting, mak- 
ing a rapid growth that can be used both for fuel 
and for posts. The Native Ash is particularly well 
suited for grove planting, especially on the lighter, 
drier soils where the Box Elder, Elm and Willow are 
not so well adapted. There are a number of the 
conifers like the Douglas Spruce, Colorado Blue 
Spijuce, Black Hills Spruce, Jack Pine, and Bull Pine 
that will grow as well here as in most other places, 
after they have once become established. 

The standard flowering shrubs that are ordinarily 
grown for ornamental purposes, like the Lilac, 
Snowball, and Honeysuckle, do well, so that one need 



never be without the adornments that are considered 
necessary around a modern home. 



SCHOOLS 

The state constitution provides for a system of 
free public schools extending from the primary- grades 
to the University and Agricultural College. Thus. 




The broad, level prairies make tractor farming profitable 
and attractive to many 



NORTH DAKOTA 




Good highways will be found in all parts of the State 



the advantages of free education in the common and 
secondary schools and institutions of higher learning 
are open to all. 

The basis of education is the common schools, and 
in this State, largely rural in character, it is the rural 
schools that represent the very foundation of the 
educational welfare of the people. A large land 
grant was received for the common schools — not less 
than one-eighteenth of the total area of the State 
having been allotted as an endowment. Sections 16 
and 36 of each township of land belong to the com- 
mon school fund, a total of 2,521,584 acres. A con- 
stitutional provision forbids the selling of any of the 
school land for less than $10 per acre. The total 
amount received from land sold is nearly $19,000,000 
and the estimated value of unsold lands, $31,000,000. 
The fund for the common schools will, therefore, 
exceed $50,000,000. The income from this sum is 
apportioned to the various districts of the State 
according to the number of children of school age 
therein. 

It is not only in the possession of this large state 
fund for school support that North Dakota is fortu- 
nate, but there are various other conditions which 
have conspired to place the State in the front rank 
in excellence of the common schools. It is now 
generally recognized that consolidation is a means of 



rural school betterment and nearly five hundred of 
such schools are now organized, with suitable pro- 
vision for free transportation of pupils. Thousands 
of farm children are attending, being well housed and 
well taught. An increasing number of farm children 
not only are completing the eighth grade here, but 
find high school courses available. Through the 
country consolidated school system, secondary edu- 
cation for all — an ideal characteristic of the North- 
west — is fast becoming a reality. Here will be found 
the spirit of modern education, such as hot lunches, 
nurses engaged by the counties, and progressive 
courses of study. 

The high schools recsive state aid according to 
their classification under the state board of educa- 
tion. Many of the high schools of the State occupy 
splendid new buildings and do a grade of work 
comparing favorably with that accomplished in any 
part of the Union. A visitor to North Dakota will 
be impressed with the character of the school build- 
ings which are usually the most notable and mn- 
spicuous features in the towns and cities. While 
the majority of the North Dakota high schools are 
of the general type, many of them maintain depart- 
ments of agriculture, home economics, and manual 
training. 



NORTH DAKOTA 







5aiM'ii:i--i.-i^i-La!L-L--^-;^j-^iZl;Mftr 




"Fording" a North Dakota wheat field 



In the field of higher education this State ranks 
well. Excellent performance stands to the credit of 
the educators. In the normal school field signal 
success has been achieved. Scientists and writers 
in the educational service are recognized as author- 
ities far beyond the boundaries of their own state. 
The Agricultural College at Fargo has a large enroll- 
ment. The State University at Grand Forks also 
has a large attendance. The five normal schools at 
Valley City, Mayville, Minot, Dickinson, and Ellen- 
dale graduate large classes and the influence of their 
graduates is felt in every section. The State Uni- 
versity maintains a school of medicine, school of 
education, college of law, college of engineering, 
college of liberal arts, and a graduate department. 
The State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts 
is devoted to technolog\^ It maintains schools of 
engineering, chemistry, phamiacy, agriculture, veter- 
inary science, and education. Its work in biology 
has attracted wide and favorable attention. Its 
extension work reaches into even,' district. The 
director of extension is in charge of the county agri- 
cultural agents. Under the Smith-Lever Act the 
Agricultural College becomes the center of a campaign 
of popular enlightenment in vocational fields. 

In addition to the major institutions of higher 
learning, a State School of Forestry at Bottineau and 




North Dakota is in the "corn belt." Half a million acres 
devoted to this crop annually 



23 



NORTH DAKOTA 




The Home Demonstration Agents of the Elxtension Division, 

Agricultural College, help the farmers wife 

to solve her problems 



Good buildings will be found on practically every farm, 

a sure sign that farming in this State 

is successful 



a State School of Science at Wahpeton are main- 
tained. 

CHURCHES 

You will find a church home in North Dakota. 
Next to the family house the church home is most 
important. The religious and church life of the 
State on the whole is strong and aggressive. It is 
producing results as is shown by the large numbers 
of churches which have outgrown their present 
buildings and are erecting permanent structures, as 
well as by the large number of accessions to member- 
ship reported each year, and the increasing stream 
of benevolences contributed. 

People of many states and lands have come and 
brought their religion with them. Churches of all 
denominations, Protestant and Catholic, are to be 
found in every locality, and those whose religious 
views are different from those of the greater mass of 
people — Dunkards, Mermonites, Latter Day Saints, 
and various others — can usually find certain locali- 
ties where many of the same faith are ready and 
anxious to welcome them. 

Tolerance and co-operation appear to be the spirit 
which animates the various denominations. In 



pioneer days there was so much work to be done 
that every worker was kept busy and the field was 
so large that there was ample room for all. 

The Country Life Movement, or Rural Community 
Development Idea, is gaining a strong hold on the 
life of the churches. The late Colonel Roosevelt 
did a great thing for North Dakota when he ap- 
pointed, during his term as President, the country 
life commissions. The report of that commission 
has had a profound effect upon the church life of 
the State, which is, of course, predominantly rural. 
In some cases also this community work seems to 
reflect on the churches in the neighborhood and draw 
them more closely together. 

THE COUNTY AGENTS 

The services of the county agricultural agents are 
devoted to practically all of the state agricultural 
problems. However, to the farmer who contem- 
plates moving into the State it might be interesting 
to note that crop production, live stock improve- 
ment, and the marketing problems demand the major 
portion of the county agent's time. It is along these 
lines that the agents are rendering a wonderful ser- 



NORTH DAKOTA 




Good farmers, good cows, good hogr; produce "good buildings" 



vice to the farmers, and especially to those who are 
not thoroughly familiar with conditions. 

Because of the large acreage of small grain, the 
county agent has rendered a great service in locating 
high producing varieties of wheat, oats, barley, etc. 
Five thousand farmers were assisted by the county 
agents during 1918 in testing for purity and germi- 
nation. Two thousand farmers were assisted in 
purchasing alfalfa seed, the agents realizing the 
necessity of northern grown seed for the natural 
alfalfa soil. Nine thousand farmers were advised 
on the growing of crops. This service is of special 
value to the new farmer. 

The North Dakota Experiment Stati- n has a vast 
amount of valuable information on the various 
varieties of small grains, alfalfa, clover, corn, etc., 
which is the result of years of experiments at the 
various experiment stations located throughout the 
State. Practically all of this information is in the 
hands of the county agent and is of special value 
to those who are not familiar with highest producing 
varieties of grain. 

The county agents have valuable information on 
cultural methods in growing crops. They are ren- 
dering a great service in increasing and improving 



the live stock conditions. During 1918 county 
agents have purchased for farmers more than 
275 pure bred bulls, about the same number of pure 
bred cows, 155 pure bred rams, and 190 pure bred 
boars, while through the county agent exchange 
lists approximately 3,600 head of pure bred and high 
grade stock have been purchased and sold for the 
farmers. This not only affords an exchange for the 
farmer, but also places at his service an agent who 
can locate desired stock on short notice or find a 
purchaser. 




LpdJLiLMJlMl'iilil^ 



Class in dairying at the Agricultural College 



NORTH DAKOTA 




Barley is one of the important crops and is a valuable feed for stock 



Considerable time has been devoted by the county 
agents to the marketing problem of the State. Live 
stock shipping associations, wool marketing asso- 
ciations, potato marketing associations, and seed 
marketing associations, have been organized which 
have proved a great help to the farmer. Many 
agents have assisted in the organization of farmers' 
CO operative elevator companies. 

The county agent is one of the first men in the 
cotmty to see when looking over land, and when 
starting to farm, he can furnish valuable information 
on the kinds of crops and cultural methods that 
bring best results. Do not experiment ; get in touch 
with the county agent and start right. 

TRANSPORTATION AND MARKETS 

An inspection of the map herein, will show at 
once the advantages the State enjoys in the matter 
of transportation. Four great Transcontinental 
Railroads with their main and branch lines reach 
into and traverse practically every county of the 
State. 

The Northern Pacific, Great Northern, Minneap- 
olis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie, Chicago, Mil- 
waukee & St. Paul, Chicago & North Western, and 
Farmers' Grain and Shipping Railroads, are repre- 



sented in the State by Main Lines and branches. 
This gives North Dakota direct lines of railway and 
quick service to the great industrial centers of the 
country, by all rail, or by rail and boat, and puts all 
of the great markets on a competitive basis for 
North Dakota's products. 

North Dakota produces the highest quality of 
hard spring wheat "which at present is largely sent 
to Minneapolis, St. Paul, Duluth, Superior and the 
east. The State is well supplied with line and 
farmer owned elevators and has a ntmiber of flour 
mills. 

Here will be found a large number of coopera- 
tively owned creameries and some large central 
butter making plants. Cream shipping stations 
are operated at practically all towns without 
creameries. It is the plan of the State to build 
cold storage warehouses at the leading railroad 
centers, where butter can be stored and sent to 
the large markets in car load lots. 

Most of the live stock is now sold on the South 
St. Paul and Chicago markets. Cooperative pack- 
ing plants are located at Fargo and Grand Forks. 

Many potato warehouses have been built and 
many others projected. The North Dakota Potato 
Growers' Association is formulating a comprehensive 



26 



NORTH DAKOTA 



i 


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lb 


b.^ 








'^'V "^'■' 


if'iB^^iil 


'^itfBU^^ 


^ 


s 


f; -ix^W^B 


^ 


1 ;■■■-. ■ 


'\<^^-^-\^r'^'''^'^''''' 


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^^^B> 



Along the banks of one of the numerous streams to be found in the State 



plan for cooperative marketing. The rapid growth 
of potato production leads to the belief that the 
State will soon be one of America's greatest potato 
sections. 

Most of the flax is shipped to Minneapolis and 
Duluth and there nm through the crushers and the 
oil extracted. 

The splendid transportation facilities insures 
rapid transit to market and the location of the State 
gives a choice of markets. These are great advan- 
tages in marketing and especially for live stock, 
butter, eggs, and potatoes. 

NATURAL RESOURCES 

Probably no other state in the Union is so exclu- 
sively confined to agriculture as North Dakota. 
An annual wealth production of between $200 and 
$300 per capita derived almost exclusively from 
agriculture will at once indicate the importance of this 
pursuit. 

The extensive prairies of rich land require only 
intelligent farming to perpetuate their wonderful 
productiveness. 

The soil, climate and the records of North Da- 
kota's crops and live stock are ample guarantees 
of profit and increase to the farmer. 



AGRICULTURAL INFORMATION 

North Dakota has an exceptionally well developed 
program for the investigation of its agricultural 
problems. 

The central Experiment Station is at Fargo. 
The five sub-stations are at Edgeley, Dickinson, 
Williston, Hettinger, and Langdon. The work at 
the first four is in cooperation with the United 
States Department of Agriculture. At Mandan 
the North Dakota Experiment Station cooperates 
with the Federal Great Plains Station. To further 
supplement these. State demonstration farms are 
operated in the following counties; Pembina, 
Emmons, Walsh, Stutsman, Nelson, Grand Forks, 
Ransom, Renville, Hettinger, Morton, Dickey, 
Traill, Pierce, Barnes, Williams, Richland, and 
McLean. On these demonstration farms the work, 
which is largely trying out rotations, is planned by 
the Agricultural Experiment Station, but carried 
on by farmers with their ordinary fami equipment. 
By operating at so many points the Experiment 
Station secures information on the farm problems 
in all parts of the State. 

Through bulletins, circulars, etc., this information 
is made available to the public. These can be 
secured free by writing to the North Dakota Agri- 
cultural College, Fargo. 



NORTH DAKOTA 




A boy and his "acre cornfield" produced 1033 bushels- 
record to be proud of by "any boy ' "anywhere" 



The silo is making its appearance all over North Dakota — a 
sure sign that farmers are progressing and making money 



Detail soil surveys are being made. Several 
counties have been mapped and the reports pub- 
lished. 

The workers in the Agricultural Extension Divi- 
sion are composed of County Agricultural Agents, 
Home Demonstration Agents, Boys' and Girls' 
Cltib Leaders, and Specialists who meet with the 
farmer and his family on the farm and in meetings 
in the counties. 

Long and short courses in Agriculture, Home 
Economics, and Engineering are given at the 
Agricultural College. These vary from two weeks 
short courses and three years courses of six months 
each open to any one, to the four years courses 
requiring a high school training for entrance. 

The county agents, home demonstration agents, 
and boys' and girls' club leaders put on a week's 
short course in agriculture and home economics at 
one or two points in each county during the winter. 
Thev also hold a good many one and two day 
meetings. The extension specialist and members 
of the Agricultural College faculty and the Experi- 
ment Station staff assist at these meetings. 

The Department of Agriculture and Labor at 
Bismarck sends out speakers to conduct one and 
two day farmers' institutes. 



Agriculture and Home Economics are taught in 
many of the consolidated schools as well as most 
of the high schools. 

Elementary courses in Agriculture and Home Eco- 
nomics are given in the four normal schools at Valley 
City, Mayville, Minot, and Dickinson; in the Sci- 
ence School at Wahpeton; the Industrial Normal 
School at Ellendale; and at the Agricultural and 
Training school at Park River and at Maddock. 

Farmers' clubs have been organized in inost 
communities, where the farmers and their families 
gather to discuss the farm problems and for a 
social time. 

Traveling libraries composed of sets of books on 
agriculture and on general subjects are sent out 
lay the Library Commission at Bismarck so that 
any community that will pay the express one way 
can have one of these sets of books, and when 
through with it a new one can be sent for. 

The Agricultural College is prepared to render 
any community aid in preparing a program. The 
package library contains material for debates, 
material for preparing talks or addresses, recitations, 
dialogues, plays, pageants, etc. Lantern slides and 
motion picture films are also furnished. This serv- 
ice also includes help in preparing the musical part 



28 



NORTH DAKOTA 




North Dakota 



)f the program. Any one desiring any kind of 
lelp in preparing a program should write the North 
Dakota Agricultural College. Requests for this 
service have come from every state in the Union 
ind from foreign lands. 

Two State fairs are held annually. The one for 
:he eastern part of the State meets alternate years 
It Fargo and Grand Forks. The western fair is 
leld annually at Mandan. 

Fairs are held in many of the counties. 

Many of the newspapers publish the articles on 
farm and home topics distributed by the Agricul- 
tural College; in this way making available the 
latest information on agriculture and home eco- 
nomics. 

LAND VALUES 

Land Values are still low in North Dakota. The 
better Red River Valley lands are selling from $40 
to $100 per acre depending on location and improve- 
ments. In the central part of the State the land will 
average $10 less per acre than in the Red River 
Valley. In the extreme western part of the state 
good farm lands sell for $15 to $40 per acre and 
pasture and grazing lands sell correspondingly 
cheaper. It is not uncommon for a single crop to 
pay the cost of purchasing a farm. The great 
acreage of available farming lands with the still 



sparse population has kept the price of land down, 
in many cases much below its actual earning value. 
In several instances during 1918, wheat yielded 
thirty to forty bushels per acre and brought a gross 
income of $60 to $80 an acre on land that can be 
bought for less than $60 an acre. The same is 
true of much of the land which has been seeded to 
flax, ever since the State has been settled. 

CREDIT 

The Federal Land Bank has locals in all parts of 
the State through which loans can be secured on 
real estate up to 50 per cent of its value on the 
amortization plan with 5 to 36 years in which to 




The buffalo roamc 
ness and gro 



■ ta. Their hardi 
live grasses 



29 



NORTH DAKOTA 




The Dairy cow is making herself known in North Dakota, value of her products twenty-five million dollars in 1918 



make the payments. The State Bank also makes 
loans on real estate on much the same plan. It 
has this provision however that in case of crop 
failure, that reduces the income by one-half, the 
payments may be extended another year. The 
Home Makers Law makes provision whereby those 
who desire to buy a home in town or a farm home 
can, by organizing in groups of ten or more, buy a 
home or a farm by making a first payment of one- 
fifth the purchase price. 

FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT 
NORTH DAKOTA 

Assessed valuation, $403,422,258, in 1918. 
An actual valuation of $2,017,111,290. 
A population of 680,000. 

A per capita wealth of $2,966. In 1914 the per 
capita wealth of the entire United States was 
$1,318.11. 

Value of North Dakota's agricultural products in 
1918 was $431,758,297; being a per capita produc- 
tion of $888 for the rural population of 486,405, 
or a little over $6,000 per farm. 
73,346 motor vehicles in 1918, being one for every 
nine inhabitants. 

698 State and 167 National banks, with total deposits 
of $175,000,000, or over $250 per capita. 



One bank for every 786 inhabitants. 

32,000 square miles of the State are underlaid with 

more than 600 billions of tons of high grade lignite 

coal. 

One million tons of lignite coal were mined in 1918, 

from 194 mines. 

North Dakota has the highest grade clay in the 
United States for pressed brick, fire brick, and pot- 
tery. Pressed brick products are being shipped 
both east and west to both coasts, and throughout 
the Canadian Northwest. 

In 1918 grains were raised as follows: Wheat, 101,- 

010,000 bushels; oats, 60,512,000 bushels; barley, 

37,281.000,000 bushels; flax, 6,864,000 bushels; rye, 

20,422,000 bushels. 

6,377 miles of fully equipped railroads in operation, 

or 1 mile for each 109 people. 

835 post offices, with 600 rural free delivery routes, 

reaching practically every farmer in the State. 

75,000 miles of long distance telephone lines. 

336 newspapers. 

238 incorporated cities and villages. 

Over 70,000 miles of highways in the State, of which 

50,000 miles are graded and drained, and 2,000 

miles graveled. 

An arable land surface of 40,000,000 acres, with 



30 



NORTH DAKOTA 




Rainfall map, showing average rainfall for past twenty years 



70,149 farms in 1918, an average of 411 acres 
to each farm, and a total cultivated acreage of 
17,928,000. 

Natural gas is found in commercial quantities in the 
northern part of the State, and is in use for illumi- 
nating and industrial purposes. 

The value of food animals killed for home use in 
1917 was $5,828,000. 

North Dakota received in 1917, for cattle, hogs and 
sheep sold, $17,813,000. 

North Dakota farmers paid out in 1917, $16,294,000 
in farm wages. 

Value of the dairv and creamerv industry in 1918 
was $25,000,000. " 

In the Spring of 1918 there were in the State 648,273 
horses; 7,088 mules; 983,075 cattle; 167,235 sheep; 
447,808 hogs, and 278,866 milch cows. 
More than 2,000 elevators, with a capacity of over 



60,000,000 bushels, are used every year to handle the 
grain products of the State. 

North Dakota is now definitely located within the 
corn belt of the United States, the dent varieties 
having been successfully ripened in ever^' county of 
the State for several years; the average yield per acre 
approximates that of many of the larger corn-grow- 
ing states. Silos have come into extensive use, 
there being now about 2.500 in the State. 
While the acreage of wheat, barlc\'. r>'e and flax in 
1918 exceeded that cf any other state in the Union, 
less than half of its arable area is under the plow, 
and no greater opportunity exists anywhere for suc- 
cessfully engaging in agricultural pursuits. 

It may be truly stated that North Dakota of- 
fers a comfortable home and prospective wealth 
to the energetic and thrifty and extends a wel- 
come to the man of modest means who possesses 
these qualifications, as well as to the man with 
capital. 



NORTH DAKOTA 




The end of a perfect day 



ISSUED BY 



United States Railroad Administration 
AGRICULTURAL SECTION 

J. L. EDWARDS, Manager 
WASHINGTON, D. G. 

FOR THE USE OF ALL RAILROADS 
IN THE STATE OF NORTH DAKOTA 



For Further Informafion, address 



UBRARV OF CONGRESS 

iiii 

0003 153 972 9 



